920
Guys.
It’s a book mark that marks your spot in the book.
(Source: just-a-skinny-boy, via drinkmasturbatecry)
I just found this series of books about the wives of Henry VIII, and I have to say I ADORE the covers.
Henry gets progressively older in each one, which is fantastic since most show him as old fat Henry all the time.
The wives all look quite decently accurate too, and are based on portraits done of them. I like that they each have their successors lurking in the background of their covers, like a reminder that they’re not going to be Queen for very long.
I wish more books would do illustrations like this nowadays, instead of using portraits or stock photos.
haha Henry creeping around on these covers is the best.
Henry! You total perv.
Sylvia Plath interviews the great novelist Elizabeth Bowen for Mademoiselle magazine, Cambridge, MA, May 1953. Photograph: Black Star
(Source: vintageanchorbooks, via maudnewton)
A tub in a library. What a fabulous idea.
This is all I’ve ever wanted. Although the humidity would ruin those poor books.
I want to go to there.
Books in 2012
I read a total of 59 books this year, up 21 from 2011’s very dismal 38, and while 59 is not a personal best, I don’t feel like a colossal failure. I’m feeling a bit glum about my inability to parse even a 100 word review of each book I’ve read on Goodreads, however. So many books, so little time—when I come to the last word on the last page of a book I’m reading, I’m already thinking about what to read next. Can’t dwell. Go go go. More excellent books await. Hurry hurry hurry. I put up this picture of my spirit-dog Moxie not just because this particular Tumblr combines two loves, but also because it perfectly captures how I feel about trying to read ALL TEH BOOKS while keeping up with ALL TEH INTERNETS.
Of the 59 books I read, only 5 were published in 2012—May We Be Forgiven (A.M. Homes), Green Girl (Kate Zambreno), What Happened to Sophie Wilder (Christopher Beha), How Should A Person Be (Sheila Heti) and Losing Clementine (Ashley Ream). There were quite a few 2011 releases, and no doubt 2013 will be spend catching up on 2012 publications. Anyway, in no particular order, here are a few standouts:
New Favourite - Kornel Esti by Deszö Kosztolányi
The only book I rated 5 stars on Goodreads. I’m indebted to the Bookslut blog for bringing this to my attention.
Creepiest Book - Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
This disturbed me more than Gone Girl. Probably because I am a bit aichmophobic and I find Munchausen syndrome by proxy more fascinating than unreliable narrators.
Best Surprise Ending - Girl Reading by Katie Ward
I had an “Atonement” moment with this book, which really brought it to the next level for me.
Most Picaresque, also Most Confusing Title - The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
After reading Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian last year, it was nice to read an adventure-packed Western full of pathos that did not crush my soul into smithereens. I hope this gets made into a movie!
Best Quiet Book - The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
A young girl spends a summer on a Finnish island where she is supervised by her detached yet devoted grandmother. The literary equivalent to the perfect cup of tea—undramatic, comforting, necessary.
Best Memoir - The Foreskin’s Lament by Shalom Auslander
Poor guy.
Best YA - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
1990s nostalgia for the win. Runner-up—The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I thought I was going to flood my apartment with tears after reading TFIOS, but I was distracted by the over-stylized speech of the book’s precocious teenaged protagonists. Also, I think I really dislike dystopian YA lit—did not enjoy the Delirium and Divergent series at all.
The Bell Jar Award - Green Girl by Kate Zambreno
I’m being glib here, but fact is I’ll try to get people to read Green Girl by comparing it to The Bell Jar.
Most Likely To Win “Best Picture” - May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes
Starts off darkly but ends on a hopeful, positive note; entertaining, highly polished.
Also, I think I stepped into a bookstore only once this year—Powell’s City of Books in Portland, OR… back in March. O.o
